Left Cardiac Remodelling Assessed by Echocardiography Is Associated with Rho-Kinase Activation in Long-Distance...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Exercise Science
• Biomarker Research

Background:

• Competitive long-distance running (LDR) induces cardiovascular adaptations.
• Rho-kinase (ROCK) signaling plays a role in cardiac remodeling.
• The association between ROCK activity and exercise-induced cardiac changes in LDRs is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Rho-kinase (ROCK) as a biomarker for cardiovascular remodeling in male long-distance runners (LDRs) undergoing marathon training.
• To compare ROCK activity and echocardiographic parameters between high-training (HT) and low-training (LT) LDRs and a control group (CTR).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 36 healthy male LDRs and 21 healthy nonactive controls.
• LDRs were categorized into HT (≥100 km/week) and LT (70–99 km/week) groups.
• Transthoracic echocardiography assessed cardiac structure, and ROCK activity in circulating leukocytes was measured at rest.

Main Results:

• The HT group exhibited significantly higher left ventricular mass index (LVMi) and left atrial volume index (LAVi) compared to LT and CTR groups.
• LDRs, particularly the HT group, showed markedly elevated ROCK activity levels compared to the CTR group.
• A strong positive correlation was observed between ROCK activity and LVMi (r=0.83) and LAVi (r=0.70) in LDRs.

Conclusions:

• Marathon training is associated with increased Rho-kinase (ROCK) activity in competitive male long-distance runners.
• Elevated ROCK activity correlates with left cardiac remodeling, as assessed by echocardiography, in these athletes.
• ROCK may serve as a potential biomarker for exercise-induced cardiovascular adaptations in LDRs.